Elderly Retiree Dies in Gansu Prison, Due to Lack of Medical Attention

Ms. Li Qiaolian, a 70-year-old woman in Baiyin City, Gansu Province, died on Sept. 12, while serving a three year and nine month prison term for her faith in Falun Gong.

Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since July 1999.

Diagnosed with cancer, denied medical parole

Ms. Li Qiaolian, a retiree from the Yinguang Factory in Baiyin City, began practicing Falun Gong in 1998. She was arrested on Jan. 14, 2022, and later sentenced around September 2023. She was admitted to the Gansu Province Women’s Prison (also known as Lanzhou Women’s Prison), where she was subjected to severe abuse, including electric shocks and constant surveillance.

In mid-April 2025, Ms. Li began vomiting blood and was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer that had spread to her spine. Her family’s multiple applications for medical parole were denied because Ms. Li refused to renounce her belief in Falun Gong.

The prison imposed strict visitation limits, allowing only her husband and daughter to see her and requiring other relatives to obtain police-issued documentation proving their relationship. On Aug. 29, the family was informed that Ms. Li had slipped into a coma. Despite rushing to the prison, only her husband and daughter were permitted to visit her.

When the family returned on Sept. 8 to request another visit, they were repeatedly turned away. They were finally allowed to see Ms. Li on Sept.11, when she only briefly opened her eyes. The entire visit was recorded by prison staff.

Her family once more pleaded for medical parole, but officials refused, claiming that Ms. Li was only in “serious condition,” not “critical.” When her husband questioned this reasoning, a staff member reportedly responded, “As long as she still has signs of life, we can’t issue a critical condition notice.”

Just hours later, at around 5 p.m. on Sept.12, the prison notified the family that Ms. Li had died—only one month before her scheduled release.

11 years of distress

Before her latest term, Ms. Li had already endured two previous imprisonments totaling 11 years in Gansu Province Women’s Prison, where she suffered severe torture and humiliation for remaining steadfast in her faith.

In August 2008, she was arrested and detained at the Wuchuanxiang Brainwashing Center in Baiyin City, one of the region’s main facilities used to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs.

In April 2009, officers from the Baiyin City Domestic Security Office and Silonglu Police Station arrested her again, ransacked her home, and confiscated her Falun Gong materials. During interrogation, Ms. Li was handcuffed to a metal chair for 24 hours, beaten, and kicked until she lost consciousness. She was then transferred to Jingtai Detention Center.

In 2010, Ms. Li was sentenced to six years in prison. At the same prison, she was forced to stand for long hours, beaten by inmates, and denied basic necessities. Guards incited inmates to torment her after she refused to write “thought reports” denouncing Falun Gong. She was slapped, kicked, and struck in the head, leaving lasting injuries. Inmates also administered unknown drugs, falsely claiming she had high blood pressure. She was released in 2013.

In September 2014, Ms. Li was arrested again along with three other practitioners and later sentenced to five years in prison. The abuse continued. One inmate, Wang Nai, punched Ms. Li in the face until it was so swollen she was unrecognizable. She was then forced to squat for long hours without rest. Inmates scratched her face and threatened her with further violence when she refused to yield.

Targeting innocent lives

Ms. Li’s death underscores the continuing danger that millions of Falun Gong practitioners face across China, especially as local authorities intensify efforts to meet the CCP’s persecution quotas. Despite her age and frail condition, she was denied medical parole simply because she refused to renounce her faith.

According to data collected by Minghui.org, at least 5,273 Falun Gong practitioners have been confirmed dead because of the persecution. Ms. Li’s case is one among countless others showing how the CCP’s campaign—now entering its 26th year—continues to claim innocent lives.

Her steadfastness in upholding Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, even in the face of relentless suffering, remains a powerful testament to the resilience of conscience under tyranny.

(Case from Minghui.org)